Description: Treasurer Joe Malone recommends House Ways and Means committee cut millions of dollars in state health insurance, Medicaid, and public assistance, to address 'structural deficit' and salvage credit rating.
Description: House proposes increase in income tax rather than sales tax. POS on tax preference. Michael Dukakis explains advantage of out-of-staters crossing border to make purchases with lower sales tax.
Description: Legislators ponder new taxes to reduce the budget deficit. Some say spending cuts must occur first. Door to Speaker's office. Reps. Cerasoli, Flaherty, Havern, Mara, Businger, Woodward.
Description: Tax proposal covering cigarettes, alcohol, gasoline and higher sales tax is unpopular in House. Reps. John McDonough, Frank Hynes, Chester Suhoski.
Description: Representatives who are apparently absent from House chamber manage to have votes recorded in session-end madness. Kevin Poirier, Jonathan Healy, William Nagle.
Description: House members on minority leader Steven Pierce's debate on state budget & Republican damage to Dukakis' fiscal management reputation. Tom McGee, Lucile Hicks, Charles Flaherty, Robert Marsh.
Description: House approves postponement of service tax. George Keverian says this is an accommodation to newly elected Gov. Weld although it deprives state of revenue. Barbara Anderson demands repeal of tax.